The Gift
by Mrs Dizzy
Summary: A short piece featuring dark!Molly. What if 'Molly Hooper' played for the other team? Set during ASiB and TRF.
1. Wrappings

A bit of dark!Molly. What if 'Molly Hooper' played for the other team? A reimagining of events during ASiB and TRF. Originally posted in my little corner of livejournal.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. I merely asked them to come out and play for a bit.**

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**Wrappings**

"Don't be silly," she says and gives Jim an arch look.

He pouts and she can't help but crack a smile. Those puppy dog eyes are going to be the death of her.

"I don't know," he says in that lilting accent of his - the real one - "Sometimes, when you look at him, I don't think you're pretending."

She runs her hands down the black dress she's wearing, smirks into the mirror at the sparkly trim and the completely wrong bra. The earrings must be visible from the moon. Then she she looks at his reflection, gives him a wry smile.

"I admire his mind, you know that _that_ is not a pretense...but everything else is acting, love."

He wraps his arms around her waist, tightens them possessively, "Then you're a bloody good actress."

"You know I am," she purrs and tilts her head to give him a peck on the cheek. What was supposed to be patronising turns into something more passionate, when he turns his head to capture her lips with his.

Later, she gives him a playful little swat, "You beast, you've ruined the hair now."

He chuckles, playing with the strands. She checks the clock on the dresser and sees that it's time to be going.

She gets dressed again quickly and tries to get her hair back the way it was before. The make-up is a bit smudged but she realises that this only adds to the effect she wished to create and simply reapplies the lipstick that Jim had kissed off of her.

He watches her getting ready again and she can feel those eyes following every move. It feels delicious to be so actively observed, considering the role she's been playing lately - Molly Hooper, invisible lab mouse.

She gives herself the once over in the mirror and feels ready for the evening. The red present is prominently displayed in the shopping bag with the other presents she'd bought. She wasn't going to admit this to Jim, but it had been fun going Christmas shopping as Molly and picking out things for the people in Sherlock's life.

"How do I look?" she asks, gracefully turning around to give Jim the full effect of 'Molly Hooper, seductress'. He wolf whistles and she laughs.

"There's one thing missing, though," he says and he walks towards her with something in his hand. He reaches out to touch her hair and then turns her around so they're looking in the mirror again. She giggles when she sees what he's done.

He gives her a kiss, just below the bow he's put in her hair and murmurs, "Happy Christmas, Sherlock Holmes."

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1/2


	2. Unwrapping

**Unwrapping**

Her ears burn and the earrings feel heavy.

Sherlock is saying exactly the things she expected him to, but she hadn't expected them to sting.

She'd never been vain about her looks - brains had always been infinitely sexier. But she knew she wasn't plain looking and no woman surely wanted to hear the things Sherlock is saying about her lips and her breasts.

She knows he doesn't mean them – not in that way – and suppose it is flattering that he even notices to make a comment but old hurts – wounds before she learned to embrace her mind – they sometimes sting on cold nights. Whispers from girls – the beautiful ones, the popular ones – ghost around her head, haunting her with memories she thought long buried.

"You always say such horrible things. Every time. Always. Always." It's not Molly _Hooper_ who is saying the words. It's her. It's all her. It's horrible. Sherlock is the only one who's ever made her break character.

And then he kisses her on the cheek. He's hesitant and awkward and almost shy and in that moment she is truly afraid of shattering.

Thankfully, that ridiculous ringtone provides enough distraction for her to slip back into the skin she's been wearing so comfortably. The words come out of her mouth and it's Molly Hooper again. It's Molly Hooper's voice.

She's in control again. She watches Sherlock carefully. Something has changed.

She notices the crack in his mask, matching hers earlier. Something has shifted. It's small, almost unnoticeable. But why did it feel like continents?

He excuses himself and she knows why. This is the game they are playing.

She follows him with her eyes, takes a sip from her wine.

Her ears are still burning and she hears the rush of blood, almost deafening in the silence.

It was a heart beating.

Maybe they were wrong. Maybe they did have one.

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2/2


	3. Epilogue

**Epilogue: ****Falling**

He's asking her to help him.

Well, not her, but Molly _Hooper._

It's even better than they planned.

As he explains everything to her – slowly, carefully, in that condescending tone of his - she can't help but admire that wonderful mind at work.

Jim - dramatic, impatient Jim - he'd be disappointed. But she knows that it's envy.

What is it that he always says? "He's on the side of the angels." She never reminds him that Lucifer was an angel too.

Sherlock's plan is absolute genius in its simplicity.

"That's brilliant," she breathes and it's not Molly Hooper's voice again.

It's hers. It's all hers.

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-The End-


End file.
